Cholinergic and NMDAR-dependent recruitment of Layer 1 Interneuron shapes cortical motor Processing through network States Modulation

In the sensory cortex of awake mice, spontaneous activity has been shown to exhibit various regimes, characterized by various levels of spiking activity.

Such diverse activity regimes, termed network states, have a profound impact on the computational properties during sensory processing.

In the mouse barrel cortex, a major top-down pathway modulating sensory input is represented by the integration of inputs from the motor cortex and associative thalamus onto layer 1 (L1).

Here I will characterize the synaptic and circuit properties underlying top-down control of sensory network states during whisking in L1.

Using a combination of synaptic biophysics, in vivo electrophysiology, 2-photon imaging and theoretical modeling, I will define the important role of L1 interneurons in decoding top-down processing of sensory information.

This research will generate valuable information to advance our knowledge of cortical circuit dynamics during normal cortical operations, with crucial implications for several brain disorders.